Emails in on Bedlam tickets, NFL draft and Blake Griffin
The new emails are in, on Bedlam basketball attendance and OU basketball hopes and my theories on the NFL draft. Let’s get to it.
Ben, an OSU fan, wrote, “OSU can’t get the ticket situation right. They wouldn’t sell me an individual ticket to the football game, and then, when they do sell me a ticket to a basketball game months in advance, they let everyone else in for free when we paid $55 per seat. I would’ve been OK with it if they had offered some sort of compensation for the deal. Once in a decade type situation, I know. Give me a free hotdog or coke on the way in, my gosh. They didn’t want historic GIA to be empty, I know, but it’s pretty obvious they’ve got a wrestler and a golfer running the department and neither one knows what they’re doing.
This is a classic ethics question. If you treat a man justly, and another man gets different treatment for the same actions, has justice prevailed. It’s a great capital-punishment debate. Since we don’t execute all murderers, should we execute any murderers? But if you really want your blood to boil, take a survey on an airplane of what each passenger paid for their seat.
Janet, another OSU fan, wrote about our project that Bedlam has lost its luster. “I agree with most of your points. However, I think you missed a major point. Overall, the basketball ticket sales at the wonderful Gallagher-Iba Arena have declined the past three years. The arena is paid for yet the ticket sales have increased yearly. The student price for a basketball ticket increased this year and the arena wasn’t sold for all home games last season. A season ticket holder not only faces the price of the ticket, there is also the voluntary donation one must make to the Posse Club to be able to purchase your tickets. I’m a third-generation basketball season-ticket holder and a second-generation OSU alum who had to give up two of our eight tickets this year as we were no longer able to keep up with the increase of both the per seat donation, the increase of ticket price and the increase of tuition to keep our son in school for his final year. For our seats in Section 204, across from the opposing team’s bench, the ticket price per seat is $2,075 per season. (Ticket price $575 / per seat donation $1,500). I applaud our new coach’s efforts to pack the arena offering free admission. I would hope your article would cause our athletic directors to look a little deeper into the cause of the decline of attendees as we loyal fans try to hang on and realize now is not the time to jab us with continued increases. Basketball should go back to being included with students’ all sports pass. We loyal fans should see a freeze on our tickets for at least three years while we build a new foundation.”
Janet offers wise words. Every sports endeavor needs to take a hard look at finances. Sports are not immune to the recession.
Larry, a Tech fan, liked my column about allowing players retain their eligibility even if they are picked in the NFL draft. “Let the money boys show their cards and let the players make an informed decision. A team taking a chance drafting an underclassman assumes the risk that he’ll decide to stay and play, and they waste the pick. I like it. As to your column about the Mountain West, if the MWC were a BCS member, I’d favor Texas Tech bolting the oligarchy and joining up today. I honestly believe we’d be better off. Unlikely, since I understand it would require approval of the legislature, a veritable nest of UT lawyers. They like things just the way they are, with Tech permanently stationed right under Bevo’s raised tail.”
Tech in the Mountain West would be historically full circle. The Red Raiders once were in the Border Conference with the likes of New Mexico, Arizona State, New Mexico State and Arizona.
Hung, an OU fan from Pennsylvania, wrote about the draft, “This most recent article was outstanding, one based on logic and a sense of fair play for all involved. I especially liked the way to point out the fallacies in the current system which is not obvious to the casual observer. I agree with you wholeheartedly that this proposal would benefit all involved, agents not withstanding. These agents mostly have only their best interest in mind although they’ll convince countless young and vulnerable players otherwise. From my perspective, these agents are parasites that suck their victims dry and then move on to their next prey. I am sure that for every Adrian Peterson, there are hundreds of busts who were lured away by unfulfilled promises of grandeur but their plights are not well-documented.”
That’s the one reason why my plan might get some looks. The chance to disarm agents.
Luke wrote, “How could you expect NFL teams to waste a draft selection on a player who might or might not sign with them? It makes no sense. If you are in need of something to write about the weather would make a better story than this.”
I don’t expect the NFL teams to waste a draft pick. I expect nothing from the NFL teams. Here’s what you do, Luke. Think about changing schools. Or girlfriends. Or houses. Or cars. Doesn’t really matter. The only thing is, you don’t get to know what the new choice is. You’re playing Let’s Make a Deal. You’re picking what’s behind Door No. 1, or Door No. 2, or Door No. 3. That’s what we ask college players to do concerning the draft.
Ryan wrote, “Your suggestion would open loopholes and have unintended consequences just like the current system, or any other system. It’s extremely tricky for colleges to get the right balance in dealing with the pros, especially since each pro sport is unique. And I think the current NCAA rules are mostly the product of a good-faith effort by the NCAA to do the right thing. Not the product of ‘collusion with the NFL, to the detriment of the players it is supposed to protect.’ Under your idea, players will face a lot of pressure to get agents and advisers on the side. And let’s face it, BCS teams have a lot of money at stake on these players coming back. There will be intense pressure to make it worth his while to come back for one more year. In the end, I don’t believe the bidding game would benefit players – it would just lead to them getting a lot more dirty money under the table.”
If there is dirty money under the table, it’s already there. You don’t think it was to OU’s benefit to have Sam Bradford return for another season? If Sammy B. was due some dirty money under my system, why wouldn’t he be getting dirty under the only system? The current system disenfranchises players. My system would liberate them.
Bob wrote, “OU has a better chance than not to have both the men and the women in the Final Four. I think if Johnson keeps playing like he is now, they could win it all, but the women have no chance to win it all. UConn cannot lose a game that matters to them. It’s all of women basketball against the Boston Celtics.”
Your math is off. OU’s men – as with most teams – are a longshot to reach the Final Four. Most regional finals are 50-50 tossups. So that means any team’s chances of reaching the Final Four are a good deal shy of 50 percent. I’d rate OU’s chances about 20-25 percent. Which still is good. OU’s women, probably 40 percent.
Drew wrote, “Do you think people from Oklahoma want Blake Griffin as the top pick for the Thunder just because he plays for OU or because he’s an incredible player? For instance, if he played for Texas or the University of Florida, would we be so hard up to get him as our top pick next year? In my personal opinion, I think we’d be looking at a lot of different options. Am I wrong?”
Not necessarily. If Griffin was at Florida, OKC NBA fans certainly would have a wider view of the draft. But the fact that Griffin is clearly the best player available – who disagrees? – and is from Oklahoma City and OU makes this an all-or-nothing lottery for the Thunder.
John wrote about my comparison of Griffin to Wayman Tisdale and Alvan Adams, “Stacey King did more than all three of your guys. He took OU to the national championship game. I know Blake’s time is not over with yet. And the other two did not stay around long. Stacy had more help?”
Stacey King was a wonderful player, but he wasn’t in the same league with Alvan Adams or Wayman Tisdale or Blake Griffin. King was in the perfect system and scored a bunch of points on teams that scored a bunch of points. Alvan Adams playing for Billy Tubbs would have averaged a triple double, and Blake Griffin might average 25 points and 20 rebounds a game.
Roadrunner wrote about Blake Griffin, “A couple days ago you wrote about previous OU centers and put Blake Griffin in the mix of superstars. I can’t disagree, but one you left out was Gerald Tucker. He was 6-foot-4, but in 1946 that was big. He was key in OU getting to the finals of the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Holy Cross, who had a young fellow on the team named Bob Cousy. I certainly enjoy watching Blake play, but to me, he is not as pleasing to watch as were Hollis Price, Mookie Blaylock, Wayman, Aaron McGhee.”
Well, I will grant you that Griffin is not the skilled player that Tisdale or Alvan Adams were, and I will grant you that great guards are more fun to watch, but McGhee more pleasing than Griffin? Griffin’s athletic ability means you better not take your eyes off him. And as for Gerald Tucker, no game has changed more than basketball. Including football. I would no more know how to compare Gerald Tucker to Blake Griffin than I would know how to compare spaceship to a chainsaw.
Greg wrote about Bedlam, “Much has been speculated as to the rejuvenation of Austin Johnson. I am one of few who has always thought Kelvin Sampson (who I never have thought was a great coach) was dead on that this kid could play big time college basketball. He started with ankle injuries which would have sent him home for good early in his career. Instead, he played through them. He showed occasional flashes of offensive power, especially beyond the arc, but in my opinion, first Sampson, then to a lesser degree, Capel, tried to over control this kid with shot selection and trying to put him a very strict corner as to what he could do on the court. Otherwise, he got a quick hook, perhaps a la Brandon Daniels rotisserie at OU quarterback a few years prior. It wiped out his confidence. Austin is not the most outgoing person to begin with, but he is a polite, quiet, unassuming kid who generally tries to please his leaders. For whatever reason, Capel somewhere down the line, probably knowing OU was not going to advance past the Sweet 16 with the old Austin at the helm, just said, Austin, I trust you, shoot the ball when you think appropriate, and oh, you can drive and shoot that little runner also. The rest has been history. I don’t think the story is what is he doing now, but why he wasn’t doing it prior to this? Fortunately, Capel is superior to Sampson in this regard. He knew he had to take a chance and let Austin play. In Sampson’s Spartan-like isolation, let-me-go-to-sleep offense, this team would be about 15-4 and going nowhere in the big picture.”
I think you’re a little tough on Sampson. Sampson is the one who played Johnson as a freshman, which means he had to suffer through the mistakes. I don’t remember either Sampson or Capel having a no-shoot policy with Johnson. He’s just better now.
With Mason gone, try going big
The loss of Desmond Mason leaves a hole in the Thunder lineup, with no easy solution. The Thunder plays all kinds of minutes without Mason, but it’s mostly situational: both point guards (Russell Westbrook and Earl Watson), rookie wing man Kyle Weaver, etc.
What to do at the start of a game is not so discernible. Here’s what I would try, beginning tonight in Utah. Go back to the big lineup of early season.
Put Nenad Krstic at center, play Nick Collison at power forward, move Jeff Green to small forward and Kevin Durant to shooting guard.
I know Durant has blossomed since moving to small forward, but that move coincided with the switch in coaches. My boss, sports editor Mike Sherman, pointed out that Durant struggled at shooting guard in P.J. Carlesimo’s listless offense. Maybe it wasn’t the position; maybe it was the offense.
Any way, in this season of discovery and experimentation, no reason not to find out what Durant can do back at shooting guard in the much more efficient Scott Brooks offense.
Durant will struggle on defense against some guards, but Green always is available to defend certain opponents. It’s a mix and match process, anyway, when you have hybrid players like Green, Durant and Westbrook.
And it’s time Krstic got in the lineup, anyway, don’t you think? He’s the center of the future. Why not get him in there and get going.
Mason is the kind of player where when he’s playing, you wonder what he brings. Then when he’s gone, you go, oh my, what are we going to do without him? He’s a defense, energy, effort guy, and the Thunder will miss him.
But use Mason’s absence to find out what other players can do, and the injury could be beneficial.
Other options?
* Two-point guard lineup. I don’t like it, because that makes Watson the point, and that impedes Westbrook’s development.
* Weaver slotted into Mason’s void. This is the most seamless and, frankly, probably the best way to win the most games. Weaver is a good defender, a decent shooter and somewhat of a sparkplug. He has to take better care of the ball, but the Thunder wouldn’t miss many beats with Weaver in the lineup.
* Damien Wilkins. Wilkens started earlier in the season but just didn’t do much. He’s a defensive liability and his shooting is erratic. I don’t think he’s got a future with the Thunder, so I don’t know why you’d play him in a present going nowhere.
* Go big, but go big with Chris Wilcox or even Joe Smith, when he gets healthy. Again, why? Neither are likely to be here past this season, so what exactly is the point?
Tillman agrees: Give players power
I got a call from Spencer Tillman on Wednesday. The former OU halfback, now a CBS broadcaster living in Greater Houston, read my column about empowering players checking out the NFL draft. And he agrees wholeheartedly.
“There are no holes in it,” Tillman said.
Tillman said there has been collusion between the NFL and college football, keeping players in the dark about what their options are.
They in effect are playing Let’s Make A Deal with the draft. Come out for the draft, and you still don’t know what your status is. Door No. 1? Door No. 2? Door No. 3?
I say let players retain their eligibility until they have signed with an agent or signed with a franchise.
“All the points you made were right on,” Tillman said. “The NFL itself would benefit.”
Tillman said he has talked with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who expresses dismay at the big money given to untested rookies.
I don’t know how much that would change under my system, but I do know that fewer players would leave school early.
“The player is powerless and always has been,” Tillman said. “Unless something changes, always will be.”
Roethlisberger chasing her own dreams
OU’s Carlee Roethlisberger doesn’t like to talk about her big brother, who you know as Big Ben, the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I don’t know what that’s all about. Maybe she’s quiet. Maybe she wants to pave her own way. I don’t know how close are brother and sister, but I know Ben came to Norman to watch Carlee play last season, following the Steelers season.
And I know that if Carlee wasn’t chasing her own dream — getting ready to play in Waco, Texas, tonight against Baylor in a huge Big 12 showdown, with a game against Tennessee looming Monday — she likely would be in Tampa partying with the rest of anyone with a Super Bowl connection.
I’ll bet they’re having fun in Florida. But chasing your own dream is better. A bunch of people live vicariously through others. Carlee Roethlisberger’s adventures are her own. That’s the best way to live.
An interesting night of Bedlam
Bedlam basketball wasn’t an epic Monday night, but it was interesting. I’ve sat through enough 54-43 Bedlams to appreciate the 89-81 game won by the Sooners. A few thoughts:
* Juan Pattillo is a difference-maker for OU. Not a difference-maker the way we usually think of them, which is star power, but Pattillo could be the difference in making the Final Four or not. Pattillo enhances the OU bench, both inside and, in certain situations, on the perimeter. It’s hard for depth-challenged teams to make the Final Four. With Pattillo, depth does not seem an OU issue.
* The OSU decision to open Gallagher-Iba Arena to anyone brave enough to show up was masterful. Gallagher otherwise would have been no more than half full, thanks to the icy conditions. But the open gates brought in students and fans who raised the atmosphere to Bedlam-worthy.
* I don’t think I’d ever seen an individual outrebound an entire team. Then I almost saw it twice in two days. OU’s Courtney Paris had Texas outrebounded until the final minutes of their game Sunday. Then Blake Griffin outrebounded OSU 19-18 Monday night.
* OSU has great pieces, but without any threat in the middle, offensively or defensively, the Cowboys will be hard-pressed to win consistently. Ryan Wright, who now is OU’s No. 4 post player, would be OSU’s starting center.
* Here’s how strong are the Sooners: their two wings, Tony Crocker and Willie Warren, combined for more fouls (six) and turnovers (five) than field goals (four), and the Sooners committed a season-high 23 turnovers, yet OU won by eight on the road against an arch-rival.
* Keiton Page is fun to watch; he had 15 points off the bench for OSU. Truth is, all the Okies played well. For the Cowboys, Obi Muonelo had 15 points and no turnovers, and Nick Sidorakis hit a big 3-pointer that drew the Cowboys within 63-61 down the stretch. For the Sooners, Cade Davis was solid off the bench (five points on 2-of-2 shooting, three rebounds). Taylor Griffin, too, with seven points, five assists and four rebounds. And Blake Griffin did a thing or two.
Will Gallagher-Iba be filled tonight?
I expect Gallagher-Iba Arena to be a virtual sellout tonight, which means only scattered empty seats, if any.
But make no mistake. The hunger for Bedlam basketball has decreased. I wrote today in The Oklahoman about the availability of tickets, and it’s not a case of isolated one or two seats going unsold.
I went on to OSU’s ticket website and asked for 12 tickets together. They popped up immediately in Section 324. If you can buy a dozen together, then there a bunch of seats unsold.
What gives? The economy, no doubt. OSU’s lack of recent success, too; the Cowboys haven’t played in an NCAA Tournament game since that 2005 epic in Rosemont, Ill., when Arizona beat the Cowboys by a point in that Sweet 16 game.
Another factor: OSU football. The Cowboys have increased football season tickets. Some of those customers no doubt were basketball buyers who had to make a choice in finances or time.
The truth is, college basketball can be a tough sell for a place outside the metro area. It’s a major commitment to go to Stillwater 9-10 times a winter for a mid-week basketball game. You’ve got work and school and weather, and that was true when Eddie Sutton was riding high. Take away the success and the virtual guarantee of victory, and a lot of fans have decided to stay home.
OU, which has been examined for years because of mediocre basketball crowds, has been filling Lloyd Noble Center much better recently. Blake Griffin and that No. 5 national ranking are the major reasons why. Good for the Sooners. It won’t be easy to maintain when Griffin is in the NBA and OU isn’t a contender for a No. 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
College basketball can be a tough sell. Look no further than Stillwater.
Sooners could become Dallas regulars
I was looking at the 2009 OU football schedule, which was released Thursday, and a thought struck me.
Let’s say the Sooners win the Big 12 South, which is no stretch since they’ve done so seven times in the last nine years. Then let’s say OU loses the Big 12 title game, which actually might be a stretch, since OU is 6-1 in Big 12 title games and the North Division largely stinks.
But stick with me. If OU wins the South and loses the Big 12 title game, there’s a decent chance the Sooners could return to the Cotton Bowl, a classic in which they’ve played only once, on New Year’s Day 2002 against Arkansas.
Under that scenario, OU will play 14 games next season. Six at Owen Field. And four in Greater Dallas. Two in the Cotton Bowl, two in Arlington’s Jerry World.
I don’t know what that means, but it certainly strikes me as odd. The Dallas/Arlington combination would make the Sooners like the old Alabama, which used to split its schedule between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, and the only old Arkansas, which once split its schedule between Little Rock and Fayetteville.
Arkansas still plays a game or two in Little Rock, but Bama left Birmingham behind. OU is going the other way. It scheduled two games this season for the Metroplex and hopes to get to a third, then hopes to avoid a fourth.
Emails in on Thunder & Sooners
The emails are in, mostly on OU football and the Thunder. Let’s get right to it.
Gerald wrote, “I have been reading with interest the complaints about Bob Stoops and the calls for him to be replaced. Be careful what you wish for, you might get that wish. That is what I was always told and that is what some of these people need to remember. Maybe these people would rather have Pete Carroll from USC, there are people out there who are really not satisfied with him either. This is especially true the last three or four days. His snubbing of Mark Sanchez’s press conference has really stirred the pot. The feeling is that he should at least cover the young man’s back even if he didn’t like Sanchez’s decision to leave. Sanchez graduates in May even though he still has a year of eligibility remaining. Carroll fell out of favor, too, because he hasn’t produced a national champion in the last two years. Sound familiar? How about the mess at Auburn? How about the Georgia players going early to the draft. At least Stoops kept our key underclassmen. Maybe, just maybe, we aren’t as bad off as we could be.”
I have to admit, I don’t troll the Internet. But is anyone serious about wanting Stoops gone?
Don wrote, “Since a toothache is coming between me and studying for my Sunday School lesson, I thought I would email you instead. I’m pleased you recently showed the 1949 Sooners some love. Those guys were nearer to the modern athlete — and they were very very good, dominant against an excellent schedule. You can’t compare 1955 and 1956 against a modern club because they were so young — no redshirtng meant 21-year-old seniors, not the 22- and 23-year-old men you see today. But in 1949, 22- and 23-year-olds were all over the roster, many were combat veterans. Some had played for other colleges or for powerful military clubs. Stan West was 26. Darrell Royal was 25. West, Royal, Wade Walker, Dee Andros, Jim Owens, Leon Heath, Lindy Pearson, Junior Thomas. No one in the Big Seven could touch them. I have often thought that the 1956 unit was the best in OU history, but they played only one decent team, Colorado, and had to come from behind to beat the Buffs in Boulder. Texas and Notre Dame were terrible (1-9 and 2-8 respectively), so OU’s 45- and 40-point victories didn’t mean much.”
My tooth’s not hurting, but I’ll respond back. Interesting discussion about age. And I think Don’s right on about 1949 and 1956. But not necessarily about today. I think maybe elite college football teams are younger than in the past. With players leaving early for the NFL – the current Sooners an exception, of course – you see a lot of 20- and 21-year-old stars who are in the their last season of college.
Chuck is upset with the status of the Cotton Bowl stadium for OU-Texas: “The $50 million plus put into it to improve the lady for us fans? True they built new seating, restrooms and concession stands into the end zones to have another 12,000 people come and enjoy themselves as well as provide an additional $15 million to the city of Dallas in revenue. And they replaced the single chair seating in most areas with new steel bench seating to add even more people. However, no changes were made to the existing facilities in some areas. Try the area below the press high rise, sections 101-111. It’s great seating, however the thousands of Sooner/Texas fans sitting in these areas have the same problems we have had for at least the last five years. Concession stands that do not support 500 people, let alone the thousands trying to find something to eat while a quarter of football goes by unseen trying to get a hotdog and a coke. True, you can proceed to the lower level and stand in line and still miss a quarter of football, or just sneak in a steak sandwich through security. Restrooms in that area have had problems for the last five years with half the toilets and urinals not working and overflowing. And do not try to wash your hands, the one wash basin in the mens room has had no water for the last few years. The water fountains for that area have not had water for the same period of time and remain covered with year after year of bird droppings that the Cotton Bowl does not even bother to clean up. But why clean the water faucets and turn on the water when fans can pay up to $5 for a bottle of warm water, if you can get to a concession stand. Yes, improvements were made to the stadium, but only to add new seating, concession stands and restrooms for the end zone areas. We probably will not attend another OU/Texas game at the Cotton Bowl. Move the game to the new Dallas Cowboy arena and we shall attend, and even be able to find something to eat and see the game as well as have clean usable restrooms that actually work.”
Interesting. Frankly, I haven’t heard much complaining since the Cotton Bowl renovation. How do the rest of you feel?
Henry wrote, “I believe that there are two reasons for Oklahoma’s streak of BCS bowl game losses. The first: the Big 12 is not that good. Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas A&M are down, and most of the rest of the conference lacks the recruiting base or tradition to be very good consistently. That means that the Big 12 is basically just Oklahoma and Texas, and as Mack Brown is often into the habit of using his staff of assistants as a jobs program for his golfing buddies, Texas is usually not that big of a barrier to overcome even in the years that they beat Oklahoma. It also hurts that the BCS draw has been unkind to Oklahoma. Where USC gets a Big 10 team (often the #2 team in the Big 10 at that!) and the SEC or Big East have frequently drawn ACC opponents, Oklahoma usually gets a top-five foe even when they aren’t playing for the national title. The second reason: the offense. I recall your comment in your column comparing Tim Tebow (whom I believe to be very good but overrated) to Sam Bradford in which you stated ‘running quarterbacks need not apply.’ Not only was that a bizarre comment to make at the school of Jamelle Holieway and J.C. Watts, but that is precisely the problem with Oklahoma’s offense; the lack of a dual threat QB. A spread offense with a dropback passer is simply too easy to defend on the college level. Replace Sam Bradford with a running QB that is a superior passer, and that changes a lot. Instead of sitting back and trying to keep the WRs and RBs in front of you, the defense will have to assign a LB or safety to spy the QB. Also, my tendency is to think that were Oklahoma to start recruiting dual threat QBs, they’d get the best. Dual threat QBs want to be NFL QBs just like the dropback passers, but Oklahoma would be the only school recruiting guys like that promising to let them throw 45 times a game.”
At first, I was going to give Henry his first point. But on second thought, no. The top teams in each conference are all elite teams. But it’s heck no on the second point. There are all kinds of ways to win, and USC has won huge with pocket passers who have limited mobility. LSU has won with QBs who aren’t great runners or throwers.
Shannon wrote, “You know what has been overlooked in all the Tim Tebow stuff? The simple fact that Tim had that profound of an impact on that many people. That is God working through Tim. The presence of the Lord and the way it can change a person is amazing and all too rare in our world. At least that is how I see it.”
I guess so. The whole thing seems over the top to me.
Ed wrote about my Caddo County basketball column. “Enjoyed it. It has long been a pet peeve of mine that when they do commercials on TV, they routinely and obviously strive for diversity — males, females, whites, blacks, Asians — but never Indians. Last one I can remember was the one with the guy on the nickel shown with a tear going down his face because of the way the land was and is being treated. So I thought about the Indians yesterday during the inauguration and then got up today, and there was your column. It struck a chord.”
Always good to know we’re on the same wave length.
Mark also wrote about Caddo County: “I grew up in Anadarko from the time I was born until I went away to college at 18. I spent a lot of time working for my dad out on our ranch and was lucky enough to play football, basketball and baseball. Anadarko has a lot of great qualities to the untrained eye. One is, I never had to go through all of the maturation in college of understanding minorities and their plight for what they thought was right and just. In Anadarko, there is a ton of talented athletes and when we have had the right coaches who understood how to develop and nurture that talent, we can beat anyone on the court. I will never forget my time at Anadarko playing basketball in the Caddo County Tournament and the small towns all across the western half of our great state. Our basketball huddle at Anadarko always consisted of all the colors of the rainbow: African American, Native American & Caucasian. We may have had small differences in our youth, nothing really major, but when it came time to put on the uniform and play as one team, all differences went out the window. I remember playing at McGuinness High School in OKC, we looked like a rag tag bunch of hooligans and the McGuinness boys all had their nice white uniforms with their nicely cut hair. Well, in those days, we had their number and the rag tag bunch of hooligans outmatched McGuiness for a win in the big city.”
In case you haven’t remembered this in awhile, the very best thing about sports is this: memories.
Jasen wrote about the once-vacant defensive coordinator job in Stillwater: “How bout Gary Gibbs to OSU? He needs a job.”
Well, Bill Young filled the post, but how about this? Gibbs to Dallas; those Cowboys need a d-coordinator.
On to the Thunder. Bud wants to gripe about my use of “Boomers” as a nickname for the Thunder: “Grow up and accept the fact that you are not going to change it. Thunder is here to stay. Good gosh. Do you realize you are the only one who calls them that? Geeezzz! You are the laughing stock of the newspaper.”
Do you realize I am not trying to change Thunder? But when you have a singular nickname, an auxiliary nickname is necessary. Heck, an auxiliary name is used on all kinds of plural nicknames. Bombers for the Yankees. Bums for the Dodgers. Bucs for the Pirates. But I have a solution for your problem. If you don’t like it, don’t use it.
Shaun wrote, “Your continued use of Boomers is very annoying. I am an avid reader of all things Thunder, and a season ticket owner. I have many conversations about the Thunder with diverse groups of people. I have never heard anyone use Boomers as a nickname for this time except you. Please reconsider your campaign for this nickname. It is not going to catch on.”
I have nicknames for all kinds of people. Andrea Cohen is Miss Saigon. Darnell Mayberry is RFD. Ron Jackson is Big West. Jenni Carlson is JG Whitfield. Some make sense, some don’t. Some catch on, some don’t. I don’t sweat it either way. The Boomers makes sense. We’ll see if it catches on. I won’t sweat it either way.
Danny wrote after the Thunder beat Detroit. “I opened up the sports page today anxious to see what the headline would read after the Thunder victory last night. I was almost disgusted to see that an article and picture of Blake Griffin dominated the front page and it wasn’t even following a Sooner win – it’s a story about his decision to stay. It seems that the Thunder routinely are awarded the bottom half of the front page and I don’t think their play as of late warrants this. Don’t get me wrong, I graduated from OU last year and am a huge fan, but the Thunder knocking off the Pistons is headline material. I still get chills thinking about OKC having an NBA team. Let’s give these guys some credit and some headlines. I think the article on Griffin would have made a fine headline for Sunday’s paper. I’m sure there are some Thunder fans out there who are OSU grads that are more disappointed than me today.”
First of all, I love it when readers think in these terms. Seriously. I like the fact that people are thinking about what belongs on top and what’s more important. Those are decisions we make every day, and they are tough decisions, and I’m glad to know that people care about those decisions. With that being said, my response to Danny is this: You’ve got to be kidding. The Thunder has received sensational coverage and dominant placement in the sports pages for three months. Can you make the case that the Thunder deserved to be dominant in the sports section after beating Detroit? Sure. You also can make the case that a Blake Griffin story previewing an OU Big 12 game is worthy, too. And overall, college basketball has taken a backseat to the NBA in placement this season. Again, I think that’s justified. But to say that the Thunder always gets the short stick is just madness. Simply madness.
Caroline Kennedy: Good news for OU
Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her name from U.S. Senate consideration, which means she wasn’t going to get picked, and that could be good news for OU football.
OK, it’s a stretch. But follow along. This theory makes a certain amount of sense.
Kennedy has been mentioned for two positions: Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat and diplomat to the Court of St. James, which is ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Kennedy seems a quality choice for St. James Palace, which is a far less controversial appointment than the Senate.
But if JFK’s daughter had been sent to Capitol Hill, who might have been the next-most likely choice for London?
How about David Boren? The OU president was a Rhodes Scholar, remember, and there are worse assignments than ambassador to Merry Old England.
I don’t know of any reason why Boren would be tired of the self-proclaimed dream job he’s now held almost 15 years. But OU has undergone a remarkable transformation in Boren’s time; it’s a job well done, and if he’s looking for one last adventure in his political career, Great Britain could provide it.
Remember last spring, when Boren broke from his norm and endorsed Barack Obama in the Democrat race. Boren has mostly steered clear of politics since returning from Washington, so why would he endorse a candidate who was not popular among Oklahoma Democrats and had no chance of carrying the state in the general election?
Perhaps because his endorsement could carry some weight nationally — Boren remains a well-respected Democrat across America – and maybe it never hurts to be owed a favor by the soon-to-be leader of the free world.
Obama could appoint Boren to the Court of St. James and end an astounding run at OU. The Sooners have had the same president, athletic director and football coach since December 1998.
That kind of stability is rare in collegiate athletics. That kind of stability keeps Bob Stoops content, knowing the people he will be working with.
It’s good for OU that someone like Caroline Kennedy remains in the running for the Court of St. James.
Sadler lauds Capel
OU basketball coach Jeff Capel has a huge fan in Nebraska coach Doc Sadler.
Sadler went out of his way twice Wednesday night to salute Capel’s program. Salder told the media during his press conference that you “never hear anything bad” about the Sooner program.
Then later, leaving Lloyd Noble Center, Sadler stopped to chat with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione and told Joe C. what a keeper he had in Capel, that Sadler never hears anything negative about OU basketball on the recruiting trail, that Capel does everything right, and that he couldn’t say that about a lot of people.
There’s no history that I know of between Capel and Sadler, and the comments were completely unsolicited. They weren’t in response to a question.
Capel has indeed done a superb job as the Sooner coach. Would another coach have been able to sign Blake Griffin? Probably. Would another coach have been able to sign Willie Warren? Maybe.
But that’s not really the point. Capel took the job, and OU basketball has been rising ever since. Both competitively and in status. On and off the court.
And Capel has what might be the most difficult thing to obtain: what seems to be heartfelt respect of his peers. At least one peer in particular.
